Point of view
“If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view — until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” ~Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
The word “empathy” gets tossed around a lot these days, usually in reference to insensitive people who seem to lack it.
Simply put, people without empathy view everything solely from their own perspective, putting their own needs and desires first. They hear only what they want to hear. They believe their personal opinions and biases are the universal truth — yet they can’t figure out why others are often at odds with them.
Can empathy be acquired or learned? Is there a cure for selfishness? Imagine what life would be like if everyone would pause and consider the feelings of others before acting on their own impulses. ~CL
Cindy La Ferle
Throughout my career, I've worked as a book production editor, travel magazine editor, features writer, and weekly newspaper columnist. My award-winning lifestyles features and essays have appeared in many national magazines and anthologies, including Newsweek, Reader's Digest, The Christian Science Monitor, Writer's Digest, Victoria, Better Homes & Gardens, Bella Grace, and more. My weekly Sunday "Life Lines" column ran for 14 years in The Daily Tribune (Royal Oak, MI) and won a First Place (Local Columns) award from the Michigan Press Association. My essay collection, Writing Home, includes 93 previously published columns and essays focusing on parenthood and family life.
